Friendships are never easy
by PerlogAnnwyl
Summary: Random Batman-Superman friendship one-shots. Enjoy! Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought that no one but myself . . ." -CSLewis


**Hi! This is something I'm planning on doing every day for the next month, even though this is the 4****th**** day of the month... It's like an advent calendar but it's something I'll do every day. It will mostly be one-shots, and sometimes they'll be posted in different stories. Sometimes they'll be long, and may become a short chapter story. I'll try to range the fandoms and plots as much as possible. I don't know if I'm going back to Silurian, as school got in the way. Either way here we go! **

**Do I own DC or any characters here? I don't think so, this is , implying I don't own DC, or else Nightwing would be cool again, with Babs, in Bludhaven/ Chicago and nowhere near the Crime Syndicate. **

I met by best friend in the summer of 1993. His parents had just died, and his guardian, his _butler_ had decided his charge needed some fresh air away from the cameras and the media circus. He was eight, and suffering from severe PTSD. He stayed in my little town for two weeks.

My town is a rare breed, despite many attempts by many big corporations, nothing ever stuck there aside from home grown family companies that have been there since the Civil War. Even the people seemed to simply belong to the town. Occasionally outsiders wander into the town for supplies, but rarely would we have a celebrity come to town for anything. However, due to the sad and tragic nature of my friend back then, most people let him be. Not that the town wasn't welcoming, it just was one of those town's that kept itself to itself. The most alarming thing that ever happened to that town was the meteor shower when I was a baby. There was also one other secret in that town, and that was me, but that's a story of its own.

My best friend first met me in the grocery store, and we'd got into an argument over some Ginger Beer. It was the height of summer, on a hot warm afternoon, and it was the last can. I reached for it, my small fingers almost wrapped around it, when he snatched it from me.

"Hey!" I dried, upset that my refreshing fiery drink was gone. I pouted as best I could at my opponent.

"I sadly need a drink too!" A boy with a posh east coast accent, in a _very_ formal suit, snapped back. I couldn't help feel a little smug in my raggedy jean shorts and tea, of course he needed a drink, as he easily had 3 layers on.

"But I saw it first!" I whined thirstily.

"But I reached for it, and I'm taller." He poked me.

"You're not very nice." I pouted, not liking this boy at all.

"And you're too whiny." He pouted, walking away.

"And you're too arrogant… City Boy!" I shouted. He turned, I thought he was about to hit me.

"And you're too little… Cornfield!" At that City Boy turned and left me to stew in my anger.

I didn't see him then for four days. Some older boys had chased me up a tree. There were a lot of people who bullied back then, some because of my height, some because I'm adopted, and some even because of my parent's wealth.

"Come down, Chicken Little." A bully yelled up at me.

"Yeah, we only want to play a game." His crony agreed with him. I knew what 'game' they wanted to play, I'd been victim it for years.

"We won't bite, Chicken Little." A big bully yelled. I sat there as they continued to taunt me, hoping they'd leave me alone. I was then made aware of City Boy sitting on the branch next to mine. He had a book in his hand, but was watching me.

"All we need is your money, Chicken Little." The first bully yelled up. I noticed City Boy's face go white, like he was having a panic attack or something. Then he looked at me with steely blue eyes which were going angrier by the moment, his black hair shading his face. Then he looked at my bullies, and then at me curled up on the branch.

"Hey! You down there, leave the little kid alone." City Boy called down to my pursuers.

"Who's this Chicken Little, your big cousin?" One laughed.

"No, I'm not. I'm just trying to read, but as you have aggravated me enough by exclaiming at this boy, I have to ask you to leave him alone. I doubt he had the money, and if he does and you've taken it from him by force, it'll be theft." He called back. He looked like he wanted to punch them. Despite my annoyance at his implications of me being broke, I felt very grateful of City Boy's allegiance with me.

"I've had enough of this Smart Mouth, Get HIM!" The biggest bully yelled. They tried to pull City Boy from his branch, but he stood up, his surprisingly little feet avoiding their snatching hands. He got one bully in the check with a well-aimed kick. Then the big bully, pulled at the branch that could easily hold City Boy, but not the 15 year old, and it snapped.

As City boy fell, I flung forward and grabbed him, my feet barely holding clinging to my branch. He looked at me in shock for a moment, I was quite aware, I shouldn't have been able to hold him, and he was heavier than me at the time, but by some feet of strength I did and helped him climb on my branch.

"We need to get higher." He hissed at me, darkly. We climbed up higher, the bullies close behind, snatching at our feet. Wildly City Boy kicked at the biggest bully, but he caught City Boy's leg, and tugged him loose of his grip. Faster than a human eye can see, I dropped to the branch below, shoving the humongous bully hard. My shove was stronger than I thought and he fell on to his backside. City boy fell too, but I caught his ready out stretched arm.

The three bullies stared at me, and then their leader for a moment before whispering: "Freak."

They all sprinted of babbling. I turned to see City Boy staring me his steely blue eyes large, amazed with only the smallest trace of fear. I stepped back slightly defensively, losing my balance, but as I was about to fall, I felt a hand grab my shirt, steadying me. It was City Boy.

"I'm sorry I scared you." I mumbled. City Boy looked at me for a moment before his face split into a Cheshire grin.

"That was so cool!" He grinned excitedly. I looked at him for a moment, trying to decide if he was being funny.

"I just caught you out of Mid-air." I whispered, shocked he hadn't ran away.

"Yeah, and if you hadn't my brain would be all over the floor." The boy gestured at the distance with his arm.

"But I just used more strength than your average 8 year old." I argued back.

"True, that's why it's confusing, but as you saved my life, it's cool!" The boy replied, and then looked confused. "You're 8?

"Yeah I'm little for my age." I replied.

"I'm only 7." He admitted. I looked at him; he was one tall 7 year old.

"Ma says I'll grow a lot very quickly one day." I replied.

"My mom's dead." He muttered, bitterly.

"I'm sorry to hear that, is the old man who looks after you, your dad?" I asked.

"No, my dad's dead too. That's my butler, Alfred." He replied, beginning to cry.

"You're an orphan, like me. I'm adopted." I related, feeling guilty and sad too.

"They died in February, on my birthday, in an Alleyway. They were shot by a mugger who wanted my mom's pearls. It happened right in front of me." He admitted, bowing his head to hide his tears, his voice quiet, that unnerving dark tone I had heard before creeping in. He added in a slightly harsher, and slightly too world wary voice for a 7 year old. "I should have stopped him."

"I never knew mine." I mumbled, feeling even guiltier. He brushed away a few stray tears, and stuck out his hand.

"Bruce. Bruce Wayne." He introduced himself, smiling, his voice returning to normal; despite the fact I could tell he was sad.

"Clark Kent." I introduced myself, shaking his hand.

That was the beginning of our friendship; we spent most of the holiday, somehow joint at the hip. In one week I had taught him how to horse ride, he was a very determined natural. I noticed he'd have moments where he'd sit there for a minutes at a time, and look sad, but also angry. I didn't like that look it, it scared me, but not for my sake, but because no one should ever have that look on his face.

On our last day we rode around the entire perimeter of my family's farm, talking about everything, occasionally stealing apples from the orchard. That night we sat outside and had an open fire barbeque. It was so fun, even Alfred joined in. It was 6

bittersweet as the next day would be the last time we'd see each other in a long time. After the barbeque, the adults went into drink coffee and chat. We lay outside in the light of the fire, content with each other's company. It was him who broke the silence.

"Clark, do you believe in destiny?" Bruce asked, staring at the stars.

"Maybe, I mean there must be a reason God gave me these gifts, right?" I replied vacantly. "Do you?"

He paused for a moment. "Yes and no." I propped myself up on my elbow, and looked at my friend. He sighed. "I believe we have destinies, but our choices can change them.

"What do you mean?" I asked, interested.

"I believe the moment my parents were... y'know…I was woken up to the crime in my city, so that I can become bigger, better, and that is my destiny. However that was controlled by choices, that mugger could have let them go by and not shoot them. My dad could have chosen to ignore my pleas to see the movie, and chosen to gone the next night. I could have chosen to do anything rather than watch them…" Bruce replied. Clark put his hand on his shoulder. Bruce recovered. "But at any given time I can change that."

"That is just sad and complicated. Anyway by better what do you have in mind?" I asked part suspicious, part excited.

"Something that can protect my city from herself. An avenger for my parents, to make sure no other children go parentless." Bruce muttered soberly.

"That is sad, and really… well cool! You'd have to be masked. You say everybody in Gotham knows who you are- Wait, are you saying you want to become a _superhero_?" I sat up straight.

"Yeah." Bruce stared into the sky, his eyes going world-weary again.

"Wait you're like 7… You're mad; you'll die. Anyway you have no abilities or anything. I doubt you know how to even fight." I argued.

"Like you do, Cornfield, anyway I'll find a way." He paused and looked at me. "What about you Clark? Will you use your powers to become a _Superhero_?"

I contemplated for a moment, before answering. "I'd like to repay them, the people who protected me, who took me in and for giving me the luck I've had, despite whatever fate befell my real family."

"Fair enough, You'll need a mask though too so that Mr and Mrs Kent don't get hurt."

"Or I could be the one with the mask and my superhero can be mask-less and a sign of truth. I mean if I want people to tell the truth, I can't hide behind a mask." I grinned suggestively. A rational part of me was telling me to shut up, but most of me wanted to do this. Bruce looked at me and laughed.

"You're too little to be scary and save people." He teased.

"No need to be scary, I'll just look cool." I laughed, he grinned rolling his eyes. We settled back to staring at the stars. We savoured every moment of it, not guessing the cogs we had incidentally put in motion.

The next day was a flurry of bags, hugs and goodbyes. At about 9.30am I suddenly became aware that this was probably goodbye forever for me and my new best friend. I mean he was an east-coast millionaire, who was constantly in the lime-light. I was a Mid-western nobody, who had weird powers. I sprinted out of the house into a cornfield, close to the main road out of town. I lay down and curled up in a ball and began to cry. I hardly noticed the sound of corn being moved away, and small feet running towards me. I did however notice the small hand on my back. I lay there for a minute, before looking up, my face sore and red with tears.

"Why?" I croaked.

"Because I belong in Gotham and you belong here in Smallville." He explained, bitterly.

"Will you ever come back?" I asked, trying to sound braver than I felt.

"I dunno, not for a while Cornfield." He mumbled sadly.

"Why do the bestest of friends always have to leave?" I asked, bitterly. I looked at him, his face was tear stained now too.

"I have something for you." Bruce mumbled, reaching into his coat pocket.

"What?" I asked confused, cocking an eyebrow.

"Were you serious, about being a superhero?" He asked, deadly serious.

"Yeah… maybe." I answered, confused.

He pulled out a pair of horn rimmed glasses. They looked quit old. I could tell they weren't Bruce's. His head was too little. He handled them as if it were the crown jewels of Britain.

"Have them. They were my dad's." Bruce handed them to me. "I changed the lens so they're glass, not magnified plastic. I'm guessing you have 20/ 20 vision, and I don't want to mess it up."

"I can't Bruce! These are your Dad's!" I whispered, staring at the glasses, realising the importance of these glasses.

"Nonsense, as much as I liked them, as they remind me of him pouring over medical reports, and enough to bring them with me, you need them more than me. Also it's a way of moving on." He explained, staring at the glasses.

"How could I ever repay you?" I wondered.

"Just promise me something?" He asked.

"Of course." I smiled.

"Be a Superhero, you're too kind, not to be one." He looked at me.

"Sure." I grinned, I put the glasses on. Bruce stepped back.

"Glasses suit you, Clark." He looked at me oddly

"Cool!" I grinned, wondering what ma would say about my glasses. A horn honked far away, Bruce began to walk towards it, his posture hunched.

"Hey Bruce!" I yelled after him, he turned to look at me. "The world could do with more imaginative and brave people like you; maybe you are the hero among us."

"I'm too dark to be a hero." He smiled sadly, as I pondered what he meant.

"Nah, you're not! Here's a deal, even if it is in twenty years, and we barely even remember each other, I will always be there to stop you crossing that line." I replied honestly.

"And I'll stop you too, if you ever become too powerful." He retorted, as honest. We stood there for a moment and ran into a hug, he then shook my hand. It was our last goodbye.

"Goodbye Cornfield." He whispered.

"Goodbye City Boy." I murmured.

He pulled away, and walked to the road, where Alfred was waiting in his vehicle. He got in. As the car drove away, I ran through the corn after him waving. I didn't stop until his car was long gone. I then knelt in the field, and cried, I'd never lost anyone before in conscious memory with the knowledge I'd probably never see them again. It was like my friend was dead.

The day we were reunited was just over 19 years later. Batman was being dark, moody and generally a pain in the backside, and on top of that annoying me. Unlike the rest of the league, our true identities were unknown to one another; all I knew is that he had a sidekick called Robin, who could be his son. Either way he was suspicious, as it really wouldn't surprise me if it was Lex Luthor or some other villain's plan to poison me of the week. Something annoyed me about him, but he also intrigued me. However we kept him as he was the best field commander on our team.

It was during a particularly long and stressful League meeting, did it all escalated. We had been trying to decide what exactly was to be done about the aforementioned Luthor's threat of being president. Oliver and Batman were strongly suggesting someone run against him, luckily no one else agreed with that plan. When they lost the debate, Batman got up and stormed out of the meeting room.

"What's eating him? Hal asked.

"I best go and find out." I muttered annoyed, following the Dark Knight.

I found him alone, staring at his own planet from the observation deck. I understood why we annoyed him. As far as he was concerned we were a liability, if we went rogue… On top of this, J'onn, Shayeira and I were not human. I suddenly felt incredibly sad for the brooding man. That was before I remembered how much of a git he could be.

"What is it Boy Scout? Come to educate me more on the politics of America?" Batman growled angrily, _hurt_.

"No, I just wondered what your problem is today?" I asked.

"Nothing, except a pair of aliens, a wizard, a Warrior Princess and a bunch of randomly powered humans are trying to run my life." He huffed. We sat there for a moment, I could tell despite our differences he preferred me to the rest, with the exception being Ollie.

"Did you ever work with someone, or fight alongside someone other than Robin before the Justice League?" I asked. He paused for a moment, his eyes glazing over slightly.

"Yes." He murmured softly, he was telling the truth.

"Who?" I asked curiously, wondering who the hell had gotten through to this black obelisk of a man.

"You don't trust me do you?" He asked me, he sounded rather melancholy and reflective.

"Not really. I don't know who you are, or why you work with the JL." I explained.

"I hoped to find a friend." Batman mumbled.

"Have you tried going to the pub?" I queried half-serious, it earned me a bat-glare.

"The only person on this League who could be him is you, but you're too loud and brass to be him." He explained, looking at the floor.

"Ok. Oh…" I exclaimed, as I realised. "He's the reason you're a hero, isn't he?"

No reply, I thought he was going to remain mute, until he asked:

"Why did you become a hero?"

"With these powers? You're pulling my leg, right?" I smiled. I saw him backtrack a little.

"Fair enough." He smiled slightly, and then added. "It just occurred to me, what's your name? I haven't told you mine name either."

"No one knows yours." I remarked. This sudden change seemed odd to me.

"Correction, no one but Ollie knows my name. I just am too respectful to ask you as no one fits your appearance on data recognition software." He looked at me.

"Well I need to disguise for my other self… My normal self." I explained, laughing slightly. Batman smiled at me.

"I'll show you who I am, if you show me who you are." He looked at me. The suddenness of the deal threw me for a moment

"I'm seriously not that interesting, but deal!" I replied, trying to not sound nervous.

He pressed a button on the side of the cowl. I reached into a small pocket on my belt for my glasses. As soon as he saw the glasses however, he stopped what he was doing and hurled himself at me, pinning me to the wall. He looked furious, confused and… _hurt_. I meanwhile realised how he scared the guts out of Gotham's underworld.

"Where did you get those glasses?" He snarled, furious. I looked at the glasses with confusion.

"A friend." I replied, uncertainly.

"What friend? How? Why?" He growled.

"A boy, he was the first person to accept me outside my family. He gave them to me as a parting gift as he left to go home, the last time I saw him." I explained.

Batman released me, and looked at me shocked. He swallowed hard a few times, before tearing his eyes from me. His sudden reactions had me confused, and stunned. He ran his hand through his hair and sprinted out of the room. Moments later I heard a zeta tube activate, and he was gone. I sat down confused by what had just happened.

A few days later, J'onn sent me to Gotham to find the Dark Knight, as he was on Watchtower duty. I sat on a very tall rooftop searching for him.

Now that I lived in Metropolis, only 20 miles from Gotham, I always intended to catch up with Bruce, but I never did due to work. Anyway one needn't look far to know the antics of the playboy millionaire, philanthropist. I doubt he even has time to remember small boys from small towns in Kansas. I did however want to know what happened to the boy who wanted to be a hero, and how he became like that. I was yanked out of my thoughts by a small _whoosh_ from the shadows behind me.

"I wondered when we'd next meet." Batman growled, approaching me.

"J'onn says you're on duty tonight in the watchtower." I relayed my message dutifully, turning to leave.

"Tell him the gala he wants to attend doesn't start till 8, it's 6.30. I can hold off duty for five minutes." He informed me.

"Why?" I asked.

"We need to talk, Superman." He commented.

"Is it about the other night?" I asked.

"_What do you think?_" He replied sarcastically.

"Probably, unless you want to tell me you've changed your mind over Luthor." I replied, before relaying Batman's message to J'onn, who told Batman he had to be at the Watchtower at 7 sharp.

"Now that that's cleared…" I clicked my communicator off. "Why did you freak out over my glasses?"

"Put them on." He ordered, sitting down.

"Seriously?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Please." He said in a voice that seemed on face value commanding, but there was an anticipated excitement there too. I complied, and placed them on my face. I saw look of shock appear on his face.

"What?" I asked.

"You're called Clark Kent. You were raised on a farm in Smallville, Kansas. You had your powers from a young age. Most people considered this a freaky attribute. Your parents are called Martha and Jonathan." Batman summed up, as I took off my glasses. That was creepy, _how does he know this stuff?_

"So you did research in the end?" I crossed my arms, insulted.

"No, I knew all this, already." He answered.

"How?" I asked, confused.

He began to open his cowl again. I stared a little scared, and excited. This was it. When it was all undone, he lifted it off his head. At first I stared in shock. It couldn't be...

"Bruce…" I whispered, my voice cracking, staring at the face of my old friend.

"Hi Clark." He whispered hoarsely. I could tell he was close to tears. We sat there for a moment, just staring at each other. He reached out and touched my shoulder, which turned into a hug.. He pulled away, and looked at me. He murmured awkwardly. "It's been a long time. So you did come to visit Gotham, then." He murmured awkwardly.

"We have a lot to catch up on." I whispered. My friend was quiet beside me. He put his cowl back on.

"You kept the glasses, then? He asked when he was done.

"Yes, of course." I laughed. Then I remembered something. "We have got a lot to catch up on. Robin…is Richard…Grayson."

"Who would love the night off. You'd love him Clark, he's like you in so many ways... Join me on Watchtower duty?" He asked.

"Sure. Careful you don't control him too much. It might make him grouchy, and he'll run away to that town the other side of the Kane… Blüdhaven?" I joked. He considered it for a minute.

"Fine, but give me 15 minutes to explain it to Alfred and Dick and… grab something." He explained then vanished into the shadows.

15 minutes later, I was sitting in the Watchtower's comms' room, when Batman strode in, carrying a battered black rucksack. He sat down next to me, and pulled out some Wayne Industries files.

"Do you ever stop?" I asked, guessing this was going to obvious.

"Yes." He answered, against my expectations.

"When? How?" I asked, intrigued.

"Between 4.30 and 7, I sleep, then Alfred drags me from bed." He grinned. We laughed. " Do you?"

"Sleep? Yeah, mostly when Lois threatens to change the locks on my flat." I grinned. "So how much paperwork is in that rucksack?"

He looked at me for a moment.

"It's not just paperwork." He confessed.

"Uh-huh." I just muttered, turning to the computer.

Next thing, I hear a double _thud_ as two bottles were placed on the desk. I picked one up, it read: NAGEM'S CLASSIC FIERY GINGER BEER. I laughed.

"I figured I owed you one." The Dark Knight chuckled.

"Well it certainly, starts conversations." I grinned, he snorts.

"And as I recall _our bickering._" He muttered, opening his bottle with a batarang.

"True." Clicking my bottle on the side of the desk, to open it, I began. "So…"

"So?" He asked.

"Where to begin?


End file.
